Voting has officially started for Bangladesh’s national election, with polling scheduled from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm local time. This marks the first election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 and Khaleda Zia’s death in December 2025.
Voting underway in 299 seats across Bangladesh on Thursday for the national parliamentary elections, with over 127 million registered voters anticipated to take part in the process.
It is also considered the country’s first genuine electoral contest since 2009, following the Election Commission’s cancellation of the Awami League’s registration, which barred the party from participating.
Since then, an interim government has overseen the country during a period marked by continued demonstrations, the rise of a hardline Islamist group, incidents of violence against minority communities, and a notable shift in foreign policy, moving closer to Pakistan and China while distancing itself from India.
BNP vs Jamaat
These dynamics are expected to shift with the formation of a newly elected democratic government, which many observers anticipate will be led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Following the recent death of Khaleda Zia, the party is now headed by her son, Tarique Rahman, who is widely regarded as the frontrunner for the prime minister’s post. The BNP faces strong competition from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline Islamist party and former ally, which analysts believe could deliver its strongest electoral performance to date, even as the BNP remains the favorite to secure victory.
